Parking sensors, towbars and wiring looms!
Hi,
I have just purchased a mondeo mk5 17 reg and it need to get a towbar fitted and am not sure about the rear parking sensors and them being affected by just having a presence of a swan neck towbar (when not towing).
Indespension recommend a detachable towbar as the solution, but I dont really want to pay the extra £170 it costs as I would leave it attached all the time. They cannot guarantee that a static swan neck would not cause issues for the sensors. The local ford dealer reckons they can 'program out' the effect of the towbar from the rear sensors for £120, if its wired up with the correct 'module' (no idea what this is).
The other issue is the 'vehicle specific wiring' that is on offer for another £150 extra. I get the impression its nice to have but not really that vital but am not sure.
So I'm tempted to take a punt and go for the static swan neck with a non specific wiring for £300 rather then the detachable with vehicle specific wiring for £600 and hope ford can deal with any parkng sensor issues!!
Any advice or thoughts really appreciated!
nick
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To my mind the vehicle specific wiring is the way to go. That will ensure your complicated canbus system is not interfered with and will have the correct relays and should deal with the reversing sensor issue.
Compared to the cost of the car and caravan, it's very little extra.
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Cardboard engineering. Make one in cardboard tape & a 50mm ball of some description & see what happens .... 😉
I'd spend the money & have a detachable bar fitted & remove it when not needed (though a fixed bar would have protected the back of my car the other day 😀) You have spent £thousands on your towcar & seem to want to spend the minimum on the tow bar.
The reverse sensors can't see the towbar on my ML when the tow bar is in use & neither could the R Class's sensors see its detachable when fitted.
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We had the dealer fit the vehicle specific manufacturers wiring (in fact the club paid fof it) and yes it does a lot, switches off the sensors when towing amongst other clever things. I think that cars are so sophisticated nowadays that a manufactures wiring might be better and perhaps not invalidate any remaining warranty or cause problems?
It is probably not vital as you can switch off the parking sensors yourself when you tow. But I wouldn't want them off all the time just because I had a tow bar fitted. I do recall someone of here posting that the sensors can be set so that the tow bar doesn't set them off.
One more point make sure you ask for the supplemental wring loom as the basic one will not charge your caravan's battery or power the fridge or ATC
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My last car - a Mk3 Mondeo (pre canbus) had a detachable swan neck Witter, which I never removed. It had a vehicle specific wiring loom, and the swan neck never set the reversing sensors off.
Swan neck towbars are also available as 'fixed' rather than detachable versions I believe.
I agree with everyone, go vehicle specific wiring to avoid any headaches.
PF Jones are a good company for towbars (Manchester), are a very good website if you like doing a bit of research yourself. You can get a quote from the website, including fitting at a choice of 4 depots in North West, or mobile fitting at home or work.
Before anyone asks, no I'm not an agent/salesman for them, just trying to be helpful!
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I had a towbar from P.F.Jones Ltd fitted to my 2015 Mondeo and can echo lagerorwine's comment about them. I had my fixed swan neck fitted at home including the recoding all at quite a reasonable price IMO. Everything worked fine and the rear sensor cuts out when the caravan is attached and the sensors don't pick up the towball when driving solo.
And No, like lagerorwine I'm not an agent for P.F.Jones either. I can just recommend them from my personal experience.
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I honestly don’t see the point of removing the towbar, I find it more messing about. I once had a removable towbar fitted on one of my land rovers and never removed it. I might add I never asked for a removable the dealer just put it on at no extra cost as part of the deal.
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Fixed swan neck on the Mondeo should not trouble the sensors.
Use dedicated wiring as this is a better install and does not require intrusion into the loom. Both methods of wiring will work but you will get better job with dedicated wiring.
Note that on the vehicle you are looking at it will have to be coded in the BCM (Body Control Module), this will cost £80 at a dealers so make sure the towbar fitter can code the BCM.
Your friendly Ford dealer is charging you £120 for 2 minutes work, find a towbar company who can code the vehicle for you as part of the price, a decent fitting company should have a diagnostic unit to allow them to fit it and code it.
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Thanks you all for your range of views and ideas! A thumbs up for the vehicle specific wiring and a mix of views for detachable or not!
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So do you press the brake and then throttle at the same time . I do like the auto on the winding roads with van in tow. Also I drive a mini bus with special needs children which is manual so still go for the non existent gearstick in the auto.
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Can't say that I've ever noticed from my driver's seat!
Back to the OP. I have towed with a 2009 Mondeo for ten years. Witter fixed towbar, vehicle specific loom and no 'Agency' mods.
The fixed tow bar doesn't register with the sensors but the caravan does. It can be a bit annoying when reversing onto a pitch but a stab with the forefinger switches it off!
I did approach my local Ford agent to ask about getting the car's computer adjusted. The Service manager asked if we were having any problems - told him no, except for the above. His advice was to save my pennies!!!!!
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Bought detachable (first ever) with the intention of removing it when not towing, but then thought about those idiots that can't 'parallel' park, so left it on for protection.
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The only real merit to a detachable IMHO is the benefit to your shins.
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I’ve had several mondeos estates over the years fitted with parking sensors and a swan neck tow bar. I have never had a problem with the sensors picking up the swan neck towbar when running solo.
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